The bottom line is that Askren is unable to finish fights, assuming he actually wants to. His lone fight in 2012 was another instance of the 28-year-old laying on an opponent for five rounds and grinding out a victory.

Until he starts to finish worthy title challengers, the UFC probably won't be calling.

38. Hector Lombard Isn't a Fraud

mmagospel.com

After putting together one of the most disappointing promotional debuts in recent memory opposite Tim Boetsch at UFC 149, middleweight sensation Hector Lombard finally showcased his knockout potential after making quick work of Rousimar Palhares nearly a month ago.

The finish will most certainly launch Lombard back into title contention and easily makes up for a lackluster display of striking in his first Octagon experience.

33. Demian Maia Has Found a New Home

tumblr.com

With a welcomed move to the welterweight division, the highly respected submission specialist Demian Maia is making an instant case for future title contention.

No longer incapable of controlling stronger strikers and well-established wrestlers like he struggled to do at 185 pounds, the Brazilian should be able to build off his 2012 victories over Dong-Hyun Kim and Rick Story.

27. The UFC Featherweight Division Is Growing Exponentially

mmasucka.com

2012 was an exceptional year for the UFC featherweight division.

Jose Aldo retained his title with a devastating knockout of Chad Mendes. Chan Sung Jung and Dustin Poirier produced the Fight of the Year. Cub Swanson resurfaced as a top contender, and Dennis Siver continued his featherweight dominance.

Not to mention Frankie Edgar and Clay Guida announced they are moving down from lightweight to make a run at Aldo's hardware.

15. Nick Diaz Just Can't Win

mmafrenzy.com

Like a salmon swimming up stream, Nick Diaz has done everything in his power over the past two years to go against the UFC flow.

But what makes his decisions during that time even worse is that he was suspended in 2012 after testing positive for marijuana metabolites following his fight with Carlos Condit at UFC 143, according to mmafighting.com.

He's become the bad boy of the industry despite not even fighting in the past 12 months. Let's hope 2013 will be a different story.

14. Alexander Gustafsson Is the Real Deal

deportivoros.blogspot.com

Key victories over Mauricio Shogun Rua and Thiago Silva in 2012 have made Alexander Gustafsson an immediate option to take on the winner of Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen fight for the UFC light heavyweight championship.

The 25-year-old Swede has displayed world-class striking and a budding tenacity to inflict pain on opponents within the promotion's deepest division.

12. Alistair Overeem Is Who We Thought He Was

graciemag.com

Following his destruction of Brock Lesnar at UFC 141, which consequently retired the bruising WWE superstar, everybody thought Alistair Overeem would run through the division and ultimately dethrone Junior dos Santos.

However, a month before meeting dos Santos at UFC 146 in May, Overeem failed a pre-fight drug test for elevated testosterone levels, according to ESPN.com, which more than doubled the legal limits under Nevada State Athletic Commission rules.

After that news, it was evident that Overeem wouldn't compete at all in 2012.

11. Superfights Are All the Rave

georgesaintpierre.com

For some reason, everybody in the business was, and still is, gung ho about discussing UFC superfights in 2012. This includes the improbable showdowns of Anderson Silva vs. Georges St-Pierre and Jon Jones vs. Anderson Silva.

To be honest, the talk about these fights became rather annoying.

Let these pound-for-pound greats compete in their own divisional championship pictures and stop trying to set up fighters for failure after recently returning to action (GSP).

10. Jon Jones Isn't Perfect

graciemag.com

Vitor Belfort nearly broke Jon Jones' arm when the two met at UFC 152. Jones most certainly wasn't going to tap, but a break would have forced the referee to stop the light heavyweight title bout in favor of "The Phenom."

Well Jones' arm didn't crumble, but what crumbled was the notion that Jones is unbeatable.

Coming into that fight nobody had ever pushed Jones to the point of collapsing before, which is a group that includes the very best fighters on the planet.

Regardless, Belfort put forth one submission attempt that will change the way people think about Jones as a fighter on Anderson Silva's level. That is until he comes back next time and topples Chael Sonnen.

9. TRT Usage Remains an Issue

Fighters that are legally granted the usage of testosterone-replacement therapy are in fact cheating the system.

Or are they?

The issue of TRT was heavily discussed in 2012, including a rather unpredicted rant on mmajunkie.com by one of the most outspoken fighters in UFC history, Tito Ortiz.

As long as officials continue to grant fighters like Forrest Griffin, Frank Mir, and Dan Henderson the legal capability of enhancing testosterone levels for rehabilitation reasons before and after fights, creating an unfair playing field, this issue will never go away.

6. Bellator Is a Serious Contender

georgesaintpierre.com

With a new contract to showcase events on Spike TV, as well as possessing champions like Michael Chandler and Pat Curran to bolster ratings, Bellator Fighting Championships is gracefully making its transition into mainstream MMA.

The UFC isn't going to be shaking in its boots, but it's interesting to see another prominent organization make some noise on national television and display worthwhile fights.

5. Title Shots Are Becoming a Popularity Contest

Now while this fight has yet to take place and Sonnen is a very respectable contender, the guy hasn't done anything to deserve it. The last time he competed as a light heavyweight George W. Bush was in his first term.

The bottom line is that 2012 proved to be a year that the UFC decided to start handing out title shots based on potential sales and ratings instead of giving it to the guys who have actually put in the divisional work to deserve it.

4. Strikeforce Couldn't Handle the Heat

cagereligion.com

Strikeforce simply couldn't handle the pressure of producing significant ratings while being overshadowed by big brother company UFC.

The promotion most certainly had relevant superstars like Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, Nate Marquardt and Josh Barnett, but specific differences between the promotion and Showtime in 2012 have crippled Strikeforce's longevity.

Now uncertain what the future holds beyond Saturday night's final event, Strikeforce fighters are seemingly competing for a spot on the UFC roster.

3. GSP Still Has It

Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Despite all the speculation and understandable concern regarding his rehabilitation, Georges St-Pierre was able to come back strong and put an end to Carlos Condit's reign as the interim UFC welterweight champion.

GSP didn't quite look like his old elite self, almost getting finished by a Condit head kick, but he did enough to satisfy nearly every naysayer.

Given more time to shake off the ring rust and plan for another healthy title reign, the Canadian seems ready to regain his dominance.

1. Injuries Are the New Trend

mmaconvert.com

Mixed martial arts, more specifically the UFC, struggled considerably with injuries in 2012.

Just to name a few, guys like Dominick Cruz, Jose Aldo, Dan Henderson, Chris Weidman, Frank Mir, Georges St-Pierre, Shane Carwin, Gray Maynard and Anthony Pettis all missed time for the UFC this past year with significant injuries.

Main cards were changed as much as the weather and profits were most certainly affected in a negative fashion.

However, with the great depth in all eight explosive divisions, the UFC was able to overcome its struggles and put together worthwhile premier fights.

Going into the future, it's going to be interesting to see if these injuries continue to happen. As the sport grows, so do training camps and the intensity with which fighters train.

If camps can't keep fighters healthy and available when they're asked to perform, 2012 will ultimately repeat itself.